January 15, 2011

College Volleyball Recruiting and High School Volleyball

Dear Volleyball Coach

My daughter is a junior this year (2012). She wants to play college vball the problem is this year she got cut from her high school team. She was behind a D1 recruit t(2011) and her high school coach want to focus on the young girl (2013) I guess. The coach never really told my daughter why. And I never been one of those parents to call coaches. So we don't know.

My daughter has played JO's since she was ten. The past two years she has played up an age. This year since she got cut from high school, we did private lesson. Still with out her playing high school she did make an 18's team this year again playing up. It is a regional team but the coach is an assistant D3 volleyball coach. And we felt that he was a better choice of coach than the 18's national coach team she also made.

She has a letter and player profile she will be sending out (with out high school info on there just JO). Now if she does get any offers or they want to know about high school, what does she say or how do you answer that? And would any college even consider her with out playing high school ball? She looking at D2, D3 and naia schools.

Just looking for some advice - B.B.

When it comes to college volleyball recruiting, I caution parents not to put too much stock into the high school volleyball season. Though some readers have disagreed with my stance, I have written many times about my belief that college volleyball coaches really are not too concerned with high school volleyball.

Before Club Volleyball as stretched to 9 months, high school volleyball had a larger importance within the recruiting arena. But, with the never ending tournament schedules, the larger college staffs, we can get out to see PSA's many, many (and for a number of schools which operate in the gray area of the rules), many more times, to see players. It is within this long Club season we can do our research to see if the PSA has the necessary physical and emotional skill sets to contribute to our College Volleyball team.

If College Volleyball Coaches are coming to see high school matches, it is for face time not exploration or evaluation - we are just trying to express our undying volleyball recruiting love for a PSA by coming to see them in a high school match. I get more and more emails about PSA's not playing in high school and just going with club. Again, because of the elongated Club season, any lost repetitions of the high school season are quickly recaptured during Club.

You are doing the right thing by just focusing on Club Volleyball, but I would at least be sure to list the name of the high school because the NCAA D2/D3 and NAIA coaches may need such academic information for admission or scholarship opportunities. If you get questioned about it, just keep it simple by saying she was cut by the high school team because the coach wanted to focus on a DI setter and a younger player. As long as you keep it low-key and focused on Club, so will the majority of college coaches.

As I reference above and on many more posts, College Volleyball coaches are concerned with Talent with a capital T! We understand the politics of high school volleyball, and the all too often case of the high school team being really not good. I know I would rather have one of my incoming players NOT play high school volleyball on a bad team, and just wait for a good club. Since your daughter is playing club, and playing up one age level, I would not even give it a moments stress after you read this post (yes, I have the power to eliminate stress with a single key stroke!).